Süddeutsche Zeitung, 27.06.2006

Political theorist Herfried Münkler writes a short analysis of the new terrorism, and offers rather laconic advice for the populations under attack. "The less they give in to fear and terror, the faster the terrorists' weaknesses are revealed. Terrorists gain strength by striking at the heart of the public psyche. Hysteria and panic only help them. The key in reacting to terrorist attacks lies in the calm reaction of the population. If they act in the days after an attack just as they would have behaved anyway, the attack has been defeated."


Frankfurter Rundschau, 27.06.2006

Writer Georg Klein, winner of the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize in 2000, recommends singing the German national anthem. "Our deepest feelings allow us to appreciate for a short moment that we are approaching death. That's why it's so fine to share the experience with another person, and especially moving in a group of similarly minded people. Singing together, we enjoy each other as the soon-to-be dead. For a strange, short moment, striding doggedly so as not to stumble, the present walks arm in arm with longing on its right and woefulness on its left."


Die Welt, 27.06.2006

At the height of World Cup excitement, writer Thomas Brussig takes a quick glance at what's going on in the political background. "They're talking about a health policy reform for which taxes have to be raised, comparable to a 25 percent increase in the value added tax. But the only screams this country knows at the moment are those that follow a scored goal. Jürgen Klinsmann's attack on crustification can already be proclaimed a success – we're so anxious to see how our boys are playing, we're not seeing anything else. Somewhere well out of view, a major health policy reform is being put into place. Evidence enough that it's not politicians that are incapable of reform; their creative fantasy is blocked by those who have reservations, assuming they're on the ball."


Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 27.06.2006

Joseph Hanimann takes a walk through Paris with French novelist Patrick Modiano, who knows the city like the back of his hand and wonders if he shouldn't write a book about Berlin, where he's never been. "The year I was born, Berlin was a pile of rubble. From a distance it seems to me like a sort of counter-Paris, built on sandy earth, eternally unfinished, with irredeemable holes. Really, one of my dreams would be to write a Berlin novel."

Bruno, the first brown bear on German soil in 170 years, has been shot dead. When he entered Bavaria in May from neighbouring Austria, Germany celebrated the return of the native son, but in the weeks to follow, Bruno's insatiable appetite for sheep, rabbits and chicken and fearlessness of mankind became cause for concern. While animal rights groups demanded Bruno's live capture, politicians wanted him dead or alive with a growing preference for the former. "kau" comments, "Teenager, loner, problem childhood, violent, migratory background, multiple violations of the Schengen Agreement, non-vegetarian, suspected of behavioural disorder. A few counts against him. There's no doubt that 'he would have been better off if he had behaved decently and integrated,' as a speaker from the federal ministry of supposed natural protection said." Nonetheless, "kau" insists that as a foreigner, Bruno should have been subject to "criminal law for the enemy" and that "expatriation (expulsion to a third country, here Italy) or incarceration (preventive detention)" would have been preferable to simply mowing him down (more on Bruno's end here and a picture of him here).